248. All the neophytes and their godparents should make an effort to take part in the Masses for neophytes and the entire local community should be invited to participate with them. Special places in the congregation are to be reserved for the neophytes and their godparents. The homily and, as circumstances suggest, the general intercessions should take into account the presence and needs of the neophytes.

This paragraph always intrigued me. In a mature faith community, why would participation look different for the main community on the Sundays of the Easter Season (remember the definition of the “Masses for neophytes.”) than other Sundays? I hope that the full participation envisioned here is mainly the integration of the newly baptized into the exterior expression and interior focus called for by the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

I could see that “participation” means an outward participation in the Eucharist. For many of our parishes, that might mean a more directed and intentional (mindful) reception of the sacrament, plus all of the preparation, liturgical and spiritual, that might entail.

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Todd lives in the Pacific Northwest, serving a Catholic parish as a lay minister.

One Response to RCIA 248: Neophytes at Mass

It seems this yet again imagines an idealized situation (as Roman norms are wont to do, I hasten to add) where the parish is of a size and its church is of a size where the body of the faithful gather for one Mass on Sunday.